Note: This drawing is now closed. Anyone who reads my blog knows how much I love The Glory of Southern Cooking by James Villas. If there was anything negative I could say about the book, it’s that maybe the list price is a little high. Well that’s fixed now because the book has just been published in an affordable paperback edition. To celebrate, I’m holding a giveaway for a copy of the book. Anyone who lives in the U.S. or Canada and posts a comment below by the end of September 13th will be entered into the random drawing. If you’re curious, this dish from the book in the photo above is called Ham and Sweet Potato Hash.

Lately I’ve been trying some hash recipes, which is kind of funny because it’s not a dish I grew up with. In fact I grew up thinking hash was something you got at fast food restaurants, in solid form… hash browns. And since I’m not a huge fan of regular potatoes, hash was never something I thought about very much. This recipe made with diced, cooked sweet potatoes is a whole other story, with just a touch of natural sweetness to balance out the salty ham. There’s also minced and sauteed onions, chopped bell pepper, sage, salt and black pepper, and heavy cream.

You cook that mixture in half a stick of butter, and this is when the flavors really come together. I’m warning you now that if you taste it, you’re going to want to taste it some more, but try to resist eating it all before you serve it to family and friends.

This hash is perfect on it’s own. The recipe calls for serving it with poached eggs, and I did try that, but I’m not all that skilled at poaching eggs, so I ended up frying the rest of the eggs like normal. Apparently I forgot to top the dish with fresh parsley as instructed, but that didn’t matter much. Don’t forget to post a comment below, even if it’s just to say hello, if you’d like to be entered into the drawing for a copy of the book. Good luck!

I love hash, usually the old ‘original’ standby corned beef hash that my mom used to make. BUT the recipe above sounds wonderful with the sweet potatoes, so I am going to make my own version this week!! Even if I don’t win a copy of the book, I STILL win with this recipe idea. Thanks!

about me

I'm Justin Schwartz, an Executive Cookbook Editor for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. My opinions are my own and have nothing to do with my employer. I'm an occasional food writer and wannabe photographer, and this blog is about what I'm up to these days. I'm the author of Veg Out Vegetarian Guide to New York City and The Marshmallow Fluff Cookbook. You can email me at justin at justinschwartz.com. I'm also on Instagram.

A lot of the books I write about are ones I've edited, so my opinions are very biased. And if I didn't work on the book, someone probably gave it to me for free. So keep that in mind before you take my word for it. Sometimes I just like to give a shout-out to my friends.